2 arrested for black marketing oxygen concentrators

New Delhi:

Two men have been arrested for their alleged involvement in black marketing oxygen concentrators, an equipment used for treatment of COVID patients, police said on Sunday.

The accused has been identified as Anuj Minda (41), a resident of Ashok Vihar, and Gurmeet Singh (36), a resident of Rohini, they said.

The police said the accused were charging Rs 1.65 lakh for an oxygen concentrator against its actual price of Rs 31,000.

On Saturday, Bharat Juneja, a resident of Kalkaji Extension, called the Ashok Vihar police station and said as his wife and mother were COVID positive and were in a critical condition. he had purchased an oxygen concentrator from Minda at Rs 1.65 lakh, a senior police officer said.

However, the machine was not in a working condition, police said.

Police found that Juneja purchased the concentrator by paying Minda Rs 1.45 lakh in cash at his home in Ashok Vihar on Friday, the officer said.

When Juneja contacted Minda to tell him that the machine was not working, the accused refused to change the machine and return the money, they said.

“The police arrested Minda. He disclosed that he was engaged in black marketing of oxygen concentrators along with Singh. Later, Singh was also arrested. One oxygen concentrator was also recovered,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Guriqbal Singh Sidhu said.